However, contact has not yet been confirmed with the mission's test lander from the surface. The Schiaparelli lander was programmed to autonomously perform an automated landing sequence, but the signal stopped shortly before landing.

Paolo Ferri, ESA's head of operations said it is too soon to jump to conclusions but "it's clear that these are not good signs."

ESA announced they will hold a media briefing tomorrow at 10:00 CEST (08:00 GMT) on the status of ExoMars. It is expected they will share more info on the Schiaparelli status.

Schiaparelli and the Trace Gas Orbiter left for Mars in March aboard a Russian rocket.

ExoMars (Exobiology on Mars) is a two-part multi-year Martian astrobiology life searching project and joint mission of the European Space Agency (ESA) and Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos). The next step is scheduled for 2020 when a surface rover will be placed on the surface of Mars.